At the Old El Chico, a Battle for the Heart, Soul and Stomachs of North Oak Cliff

This story's about a pioneering Tex-Mex-serving Dallas family, the possible demolition of a local landmark and the mighty high level of freak-out that happens anytime someone rolls into ever-changing North Oak Cliff threatening even more change. As someone who should be observing Passover but will never give up tortillas for matzo, this is as close as I get to a holy trinity.The family is the Cuellar clan -- specifically John Cuellar, grandson of Adelaida Cuellar, the Mexican immigrant-turned-Kaufman-sharecropper whose tamales launched El Chico in Oak Lawn in 1940. The landmark is the restaurant John and wife Susan own at the intersection of North Zang Boulevard and West Davis Street, El Corazon de Tejas, which was built in 1955 by John's father Frank and uncles Gilbert, Willie, Alfred and Mack Cuellar. Sixty-two years ago, it was the third El Chico in Dallas and just the eighth in the country. Looks just the same now as it did then, save for the paint job. And the food's still fantastic; ask anyone who's been and has a mouth.  Continue reading...